Harrisonburg, Va., representatives visit Asheville for a tour of Pack Square Park

Posted on by Bill Rhodes


Can the public-private partnership that created Pack Square Park work in another town? Representatives from Harrisonburg, Va., think it might.

On a chilly, damp Friday morning, Oct. 28, a Harrisonburg contingent met with their Asheville counterparts, including Ruth Planey, Pack Square Conservancy’s administrative coordinator; Assistant City Manager Jeff Richardson, Parks and Recreation Director Roderick Simmons; and landscape architect Rodney Porter.

The Asheville group showed the visitors various features of the park and explained how the public-private interactions have gone so far, Richardson noting, “We value our relationship with the conservancy, and see this as the crown jewel of Asheville’s central business district.”

Simmons remarked, “The use of a central event permitting office has allowed us to share the space with no conflicts between county, private and city uses.”

And Porter said, “The vision — of water flowing down from the fountain at the top of the hill, through a stream to Splashville at the bottom, below the steel representations of our mountains, and using recycled materiel throughout — tie the whole project together in a really neat way.”

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4 thoughts on “Harrisonburg, Va., representatives visit Asheville for a tour of Pack Square Park”

  1. LOKEL

    Did they tell the folks from VA that very few of the events that used to be held in the Park do not occur there since the Park was redesigned and the City doesn’t allow stage access and the electronic systems are inadequate for some performers, and the stage doesn’t allow a temporary cover so when it rains the band gets wet, and there are no bathrooms (and even when built they will not be sufficient enough to handle large crowds of folks ….. I could go on.

  2. Bill Rhodes

    Yes, they discussed the limitation of the stage set-up. There is a custom-designed rain cover which has been deployed several times.
    The bathroom issue was discussed as well, and as you know porta-potties will still be required for large crowds as they are everywhere, and the pavilion is coming soon.

  3. ashevillain7

    You ask: Could it work in another town?

    I say first define “work”… and then tell me does it “work” in this town?

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